Chair



Sept. 15, 1942.

L. C. TRAVERS onus Filed Npv. 7. 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 15, 1942. L. c. 'II'RAVERSI CHAIR Filed Nov. 7, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 15,1942. L. c. TRAVERS CHAIR 0 Filed Nov. '7, 1939' 3' Sheets-Sheet 3 I gEzIW Patented Sept. 15, 1942 CHAIR Lewis 0. Travers, Gardner, Mass., assignor to Mahoney Chair Company, Gardner, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 7, 1939, Serial No. 303,329

1 Claim.

This invention relates to chairs and is par-.

ticularly concerned with folding or collapsible chairs of relatively heavy, rugged, all-wood or metal construction commonly known as steamer chairs in contradistinction to chairs commonly known as beach or lawn chairs wherein the seat and back proper are of fabric construction.

Practical experience has demonstrated that certain difficulties present themselves in adapting a relatively light folding chair to a relatively heavy all-wood folding chair. For. example, in both types of chairs it is desirable that the seat and back be adjustable to various positions simply by a change of position of the occupant and that the chair remain in its adjusted position until a further change in position of the occupant. This is accomplished by a particular method of suspension and pivotal connection of the seat and back in both types of chairs, but where one method of suspension and pivotal connection may prove satisfactory for one type of chair, it will fail utterly in the other type.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a chair of the type specified which is unusually attractive and comfortable and wherein the seat and back are pivotally connected and suspended from supporting leg and arm rest frames in a manner such that an occupant may readily adjust the chair to the desired position with a minimum of effort simply by shifting his or her body to the desired position. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a folding or collapsible chair of rugged construction having a slatted seat and back and which is not only readily adjustable to any desired position but may be easily and quickly folded into a compact bundle.

A further object is to provide a chair susceptible of manufacture from high grade material, such as finished and varnished wood, the parts of which are connected together in a manner such as to facilitate assemblage, and wherein certain pivoted parts have interposed therebetween friction members having a particular advantageous construction and which at the same time are entirely concealed from exterior View yet are readily accessible at all times for adjustment to obtainthe proper frictional resistance to pivotal movement.

The foregoing and. other objects and advantages will become apparent in view of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a chair constructed in accordance with the features of the present invention shown set up ready for use;

Fig. 2 is a view in central longitudinal sectional elevation of the chair of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of a portion of the chair of Figs. 1 and 2 showing the same in partially folded condition;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the chair completely folded;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of Fig. 4; and

Figs. 6 and '7 are enlarged detail sectional views taken substantially on the lines 6-6 and l-l, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the chair comprises a supporting framework made up of connected leg frames including front legs 5 and 5a and rear legs 6 and 6a, the latter extending rearwardly and downwardly and at their upper,

ends being pivotally connected, as at I, to the front legs 5 adjacent the upper extremities of the latter. Arm rests proper 8 and 8a are provided and are connected to arm pieces 9 and 9a, the arm rests preferably being of curved construction terminating in down-turned end portions 8b which overlie the adjacent ends of the arm pieces and conceal and cover the latter and prevent an occupant from engaging any sharp corners of the said arm pieces and tearing clothing or injuring the occupant.

The seat of the chair is generally indicated at El] and is made up of side pieces Illa and lb, a rear end piece lfic, a front end piece Hid, the seat proper comprising a series of slats Hie. The side frame pieces Illa and lllb and slats Hie are of curved construction to render the seat more comfortable for an occupant, and the seat at its front extremity is suspended from the arm pieces 9 and 9a by links H and Ha which at their lower ends are pivotally connected to the side frame pieces Illa and lob of the seat frame, the latter connection preferably being made at the peak of the curve of said latter pieces. Actual experience has demonstrated that by connecting the links to the seat frame at the point noted, the weight of the occupant will be distributed in a manner such as to facilitate adjustment of the seat to the desired position and assist in maintaining the seat in such adjusted position.

The back frame of the chair is generally indicated at l2 and comprises side members l2a and IZb and intermediate curved slats I20, the

latter being joined at their lower and upper ends, respectively, to transverse members HM and l2e, the member I2e constituting a head piece or rest. The side members |2a and l2b are projected downwardly beyond the transverse strip |2d and are pivotally connected at their lower ends in a particular advantageous manner, as shown in Fig. 6, to the rear end of the seat frame I0.

By referring to Fig. 6, the preferred manner of connecting the rear end of the seat frame to the lower end of the back frame will be readily understood. The side pieces ma and [lib are each formed with a recess or notch 13 in the under side thereof, and a pivot bolt M is pro jected through the adjacent side piece IE2) or l2a of the back frame and has its inner screwthreaded end projected into the recess [3 to receive a nut l5 and friction washer iii. A pair of friction washers I! are interposed between the frame piece lfib and the adjacent member |2b or I211. The nut I5 is rendered easily accessible for adjusting the frictional engagement of the parts while at the same time the bolt i l and nut I5 are fully concealed and shielded from View and contact with the clothing of an occupant.

At the rear end of the chair the weight of the seat and back is transferred to the rear legs by means of props l8 and Na which at their 'upper ends are pivotally connected to the rear ends of the arm pieces 9 and 9a and also to the side pieces [2a and I2?) of the back frame, as shown in Fig. '7, and at the lower ends have projecting outwardly therefrom dowels 19 which constitute extensions of a cross piece 2!], said dowels being projected through the rear ends of brace members 2| and Zla which are pivotally connected at their front ends with the front legs 5 and 5a at a point intermediate of the latter. Links 22 pivotally connect the lower ends of the props with the rear extremities of the rear legs 6 and 6a, the length of the links 22 being such as to permit the props to readily swing about their pivot points when the chair is folded.

Fig. '7 illustrates the preferred manner of pivotally connecting the upper ends of the props l8 and Mia with the arm pieces 9 and 9a and the side pieces 12a and IZb of the back frame.

A pivot bolt 23 is projected through the parts [8a, 9a and 12b and has a nut 24 threaded on the inner end thereof, the latter being countersunk in a recess formed in the back piece 121) or i211. Friction members 25 and 26 are interposed between the arm piece and back member and prop. The friction members 25 are preferably of concave contour with their hollow portions facing one another. The friction member 26 is also of concave contour but preferably consists of a single member. The outer headed end of the bolt-23 has 'a screw slot therein, and by tightening this bolt 23 the desired frictional engagement may be readily obtained. Themembers 25 as well as the member 26, due to their particular contour, have a certain amount of spring or resiliency and thus maintain the parts under resilient frictional engagement at all times. Actual experience has demonstrated that this type of friction washer will maintain the parts in proper frictional engagement indefinitely.

Cross braces 2! and 21a are connectedbetween the rear ends of the rear legs and the lower ends of the front legs, respectively, to render the structure more rigid and durable.

A leg rest 28 is provided and is preferably permanently hinged to the front cross piece IOd of the seat frame, the leg rest being provided with intermediate slats 23a which form a continuation of the curved front extremity of the seat frame !8. Hinges 29 are connected to the underside of the leg frame and the transverse member lUd of the seat frame. The rear cross piece 282) forming part of the leg frame is preferably beveled, as at 28c, adjacent the point where it engages the end piece llld of the seat frame so that a snug fit or engagement between these parts is provided, to thereby eliminate any danger of catching the clothing of an occupant and tearing the latter. At its front end the leg rest is provided with a prop 3!] which is pivotally connected to the front extremity of the leg rest and is adapted to fold rearwardly against the latter when the chair is in folded or collapsed position.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the manner in which the chair may be folded or collapsed. The chair may be tilted rearwardly on its rear legs while at the same time the back frame is brought forwardly toward the front legs, or pressed inwardly, causing the props to swing rearwardly and downwardly on their links and the parts to fold in the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The fold is unusually compact for relatively heavy chairs of this type. To unfold the chair, it is only necessary to grasp the back rest and pull upwardly on the latter, permitting the parts to swing to an upright position as illustrated -in Figs. 1 and 2.

The same type of friction washers, as indicated at 25 in Fig. '7 are preferably usedbetween the front links H and Ma and the upper ends of the legs 5 and 5a and front ends of the arm pieces 9 and 9:1, as well as between the upper ends of the rear legs 6 and 6a at the point where they are connected with the front legs 5 and 5a. The frictional adjustment is preferably suchas to render the chair self-sustainable once the desired position is obtained. In other words, once the occupant moves to the desired position, the

.chair will remain in such position until further movement of the occupant. Furthermore, the manner of suspension of the seat and back frame and the relative proportioning of the respective parts permit the chair to be moved to a fully reclining position, or one wherein the seat and back frame are substantially horizontal.

It will be understood that certain limited changes in construction and design may be adopted without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a heavy duty folding chair, connected leg frames, one at each side of the chair, including pairs of front and rear legs with the upperends of the rear legs pivotally connected to the upper extremities of the front legs, arm rest members pivotally connected at their front ends to the upper ends of the front legs, a rigid slatted back including side members pivotally connected at an intermediate point to the rear ends of the arm rests, a seat made up of side and end members and a series of slats, said back side members being extended at their lower extremities and pivotally and frictionally connected to the seat side members, said latter pivotal connection including a pivot bolt projected through the lower end of a back side member and into theadjacent seat side member and friction washers interposed between said latter members, said seat side member being formed with a recess open toward the bottom of the chair to receive the inner end of the bolt, an adjusting and securing nut threaded on the inner end of the bolt and lying in said recess and accessible for adjustment purposes, movable props pivotally and frictionally connected at their upper ends to the rear ends of the arm rest members and to the back side members and at their lower ends having a swinging link connection with the rear legs to permit folding and being also provided with projections and adapted to engage the rear legs when the chair is set up, said latter pivotal and frictional connection including resilient friction washers coacting with said adjustable pivotal connection to maintain the seat and back in adjusted position, and means movably supporting the front of the seat from the arm rest members in a manner to provide for adjustment of the seat and back to different positions of use, said arm rest members being undercut to provide top portions that overlie the adjacent connection of said arm rests with said front legs and said last named means.

LEWIS C. TRAVERS. 

